How I spend my time today

Cisco runs one of the (if not the) largest security businesses in the world. But we’re still small relative to our market potential, and to what our customers need us to be. So I help us realize our full potential and focus on enabling our partners and customers to connect with confidence.

The Tony Hawk Foundation seeks to foster lasting improvements in society, with an emphasis on supporting and empowering youth in disadvantaged communities. Since 2002, the foundation has provided more than 500 grants and community support to enable the creation of public skateboard parks that promote healthy, active lifestyles and positive after-school activities.

How I used to spend my time

A startup in San Francisco that makes the Internet a safer and faster neighborhood. OpenDNS was acquired by Cisco in 2015, and today our flagship product, Umbrella, provides world-class security to more than 65 million users and more than 10,000 companies under the Cisco Umbrella flag. Started in 2005, we became the largest in the world at what we do. I was Founder / CEO / Janitor. We were backed by Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners, Sutter Hill Ventures, Cisco, and other great investors. I was privileged to work with an amazing team of passionate technologists on some really great stuff with a great outcome. We’re nearly all still working on this mission at Cisco, come work with us!

A non-profit that I helped start with my collaborator David Weekly. We provide free, unencumbered Internet services to non-commercial entities (currently numbering around 140). Update 2/2007: After years and years of great service we have shut it down.

I went to college here. I was an Anthropology major. College was good to me and I was good to my college.

Parting comments

I like everything about positively disruptive ideas — from conception and execution, to scaling and building repeatable engines of innovation. Most of all, I love working with incredible teams and great people. This is a never-ending journey.

When did youth sports stop keeping score? What happened to having winners and losers? I’ve always believe it is important to know what losing feels like to find the desire to win and appreciate it.